▪️Changalawe promises brutal surprise for Kinshasa favourite but Kabeji warns the Tanzanian boxer to prepare for embarrassment at his home turf
September 16, 2026
DR Congo’s Peter Kabeji and Tanzania’s Yusuf Changalawe are locked on a collision course for a bruising fourth showdown.
The arch-rivals are set to clash at the IBA African Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, running from October 18–31, 2026. The two giants of African boxing were supposed to trade leather at the 2024 championships in the same city, but Changalawe pulled out at the eleventh hour citing personal commitments.
Kabeji, however, wasn’t buying the excuse. He openly mocked his rival, claiming the Tanzanian “chickened out” because he was terrified of fighting the champion on his home turf.
“I was ready for him, to prove that he didn’t beat me in Addis Ababa,” said Kabeji, who ultimately marched on to capture his third consecutive African title.
They met for third time on August 17, 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the first ever IBA Champions Night to be staged on African soil.
The fight ended acrimoniously. Kabeji, the African Games light-heavyweight king, was left fuming. He blasted the judges for handing Changalawe the victory “on a silver platter”.
“He didn’t win the fight, I’m very surprised how the judges officiated,” a calmly furious Kabeji muttered from his dressing room at the Adwa Museum.
“Look at me, I’ve no injuries. But Changalawe’s face is swollen from the punishment I handed him.”
While Kabeji claims he rocked the Tanzanian with heavy bolo punches, Changalawe dismissed the offense as illegal tactics.
“He was just butting. That’s why he was warned severally by the referee,” Changalawe fired back.
“He didn’t hurt me as he claims.”
Now, the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist is promising a brutal surprise for the home favorite in Kinshasa.
“I’m reminding Kabeji I have a new punch that will choke him,” Changalawe roared.
“He will not see it coming because it’s a flashing, painful blow. I’m working on it now—he will cry at home like a baby.”
The rivalry is balanced on a knife-edge. The two boxers have met three times, with Kabeji holding a 2-1 lead. If the tournament draw aligns, Kinshasa will host the ultimate tiebreaker.
Over 20 African nations are invading Kinshasa to compete in Africa’s oldest boxing tournament, which dates back to Cairo 1962. Local organizers are turning the tournament into a massive festival, blending high quality boxing with the throbbing beats of world-renowned Congolese rumba and soukous musicians.
The stage is set, the talk is cheap, and Kinshasa is ready for a war.
